A method is provided for producing a green paper for producing a gas diffusion layer (GDL) for a fuel cell. A use is described of an accordingly produced gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a fuel cell. A first paper web is loaded with metal powder and/or metal fibers, and a microporous layer (MPL) is in the form of at least one coating is applied onto the paper web. The paper web is then subjected to a binder removal process, a sintering process, a coating process, atomic layer deposition (ALD) using thermal ALD methods, and optionally additional process steps in order to obtain the final GDL. After the sintering process, all of the organic components of the green paper are pyrolyzed and thus no longer contained in the GDL, and the GDL consists virtually exclusively of a metal framework.

A method of operating a fuel cell having an anode, a cathode and a polymer electrolyte membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode, includes feeding the anode with an impure hydrogen stream having low levels of carbon monoxide up to 5 ppm, and wherein the anode includes an anode catalyst layer including a carbon monoxide tolerant catalyst material, wherein the catalyst material includes: (i) a binary alloy of PtX, wherein X is a metal selected from the group consisting of rhodium and osmium, and wherein the atomic percentage of platinum in the alloy is from 45 to 80 atomic % and the atomic percentage of X in the alloy is from 20 to 55 atomic %; and (ii) a support material on which the PtX alloy is dispersed; wherein the total loading of platinum group metals (PGM) in the anode catalyst layer is from 0.01 to 0.2 mgPGM/cm.sup.2.

An object of the present invention is to achieve both high initial performance and durability performance of a fuel cell. Such object can be achieved by using a fuel cell electrode catalyst that includes a solid carbon carrier and an alloy of platinum and cobalt supported on the carrier.

Catalyst comprising a first layer having an outer layer with a layer comprising Pt directly thereon, wherein the first layer has an average thickness in a range from 0.04 to 30 nanometers, and wherein the layer. Catalysts described herein are useful, for example, in fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies.

The present invention relates to a transition metal nitride support, a method of manufacturing the same, a metal catalyst and a platinum-alloy catalyst including the transition metal nitride support, and manufacturing methods thereof. The manufactured transition metal support prevents corrosion of the support and aggregation of the platinum catalyst, thereby exhibiting high oxygen reduction catalytic activity. Also, strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) can be stabilized, thus improving the durability of the catalyst. The transition metal support includes large pores uniformly distributed therein, thereby increasing the amount of the catalyst supported and minimizing mass-transfer resistance in a membrane- electrode assembly, increasing the performance of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. The metal catalyst includes platinum particles loaded on the transition metal nitride support, thus exhibiting superior durability and activity. The manufactured platinum-alloy catalyst decreases the use of expensive platinum, thus generating economic benefits and improving the inherent oxygen reduction performance.

An apparatus and a method for manufacturing a continuous reactor type core-shell catalyst electrode, which may manufacture a large amount of continuous reactor type core-shell catalyst electrodes by improving coating efficiency of shell metal by using reaction chambers disposed in a circular shape or in a line are provided. The apparatus for manufacturing a continuous reactor type core-shell catalyst electrode includes: a main body; reaction chambers which are disposed plurally in a circular shape inside the main body, store reaction solution inside thereof, are equipped with a movable member and counter electrodes, and are coupled with a reference electrode to a lateral portion thereof; a palladium sheet which is moved by the movable member and immersed in the reaction solution as the movable member moves downward; a power supply which applies a voltage to the electrodes.

The present invention relates to composite particles of a core-shell structure including a metal oxide particle core and a platinum-group transition metal shell, and an electrode for platinum-group transition metal-based electrochemical reactions including an oxygen reduction reaction, the electrode including the composite particles. Specifically, the present invention relates to: composite particles of a core-shell structure including a platinum-group transition metal shell formed on a metal oxide particle core by a photoreduction reaction; a catalyst for platinum-group transition metal-based electrochemical reactions including an oxygen reduction reaction, the catalyst including the composite particles; an electrode for platinum-group transition metal-based electrochemical reactions including an oxygen reduction reaction; a fuel cell; and a platinum-group transition metal-based electrochemical conversion device.

Disclosed are a method of manufacturing an anode dual catalyst for a fuel cell so as to prevent a reverse voltage phenomenon and a dual catalyst manufactured by the same. The method may include supporting effectively metal catalyst particles and oxide particles on a conductive support, and thus, a dual catalyst manufactured using the method may be suitably used for controlling a reverse voltage phenomenon that occurs at the anode.

Methods are provided for tailoring multi-step chemical reactions having competing elementary steps using a strained catalyst. In various aspects, a layered piezo-catalytic system is provided, and may include a metal catalyst overlayer disposed on a piezo-electric substrate. The methods include applying a voltage bias to the piezo-electric substrate of the piezo-catalytic system resulting in a strained catalyst having an altered catalytic activity as a result of one or both of a compressive stress and tensile stress. The methods include exposing reagents for at least one step of the multi-step chemical reaction to the strained catalyst, and catalyzing the at least one step of the multi-step chemical reaction. In various aspects, the methods may include using an oscillating voltage bias applied to the piezo-electric substrate.

The present disclosure is concerned with metal oxide nanowires, and more specifically, to crystalline ruthenium oxide (RuO.sub.2) nanowires, sol-gel synthetic methods for preparing the nanowires, and methods of using the nanowires in metal catalyzed oxidation of small organic molecules.